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Tauren mythology
The tauren have a long history, much of which is recorded on banners hanging in the tent of the Archdruid on Thunder Bluff. These various myths recount important events from the history of the people, and illustrate the virtues they hold to be important. Mists of Dawn Before the Age of Memory, the gentle Earthmother breathed upon the golden mists of dawn. Where the amber clouds came to rest, there were endless fields of flowing wheat and barley. This was teh basin of her works - the great basket of life and hope. The Earthmother's eyes shone down upon the lands she had breathed into creation. Her right eye, An'she (the sun), gave warmth and light to the land. Her left eye, Mu'sha (the moon), gave peace and and sleep to the stirring creatures of the dawning. Such was the power of her gaze that the Earthmother closed one dreaming eye for every turning of the sky. Thus, her loving gaze turned day into night for the first dawning of the world. While the right eye shone down upon the golden dawn, the Earthmother's gentle hands spread out across the golden plains. Wherever the shadow of her arms passed, a noble people arose from the rich soil. The Shu'halo (the tauren) arose to give thanks and prayer to their loving mother. There, in the endless fields of dawn, the children of the earth swore themselves to her grace and vowed to bless her name until the final darkening of the world. Sorrow of the Earthmother As the children of the earth roamed the fields of dawn, they harkened to dark whispers from deep beneath the world. The whispers told the children of the arts of war and deceit. Many of the Shu'halo fell under the shadow's sway and embraced the ways of malice and wickedness. They turned upon their pure brethren and left their innocence to drift upon the plains. The Earthmother, her heart heavy with her children's plight, could not bear to watch them fall from grace. In her grief, she tore out her eyes and set them spinning accross the endless, starry skies. An'she and Mu'sha, seeking to ease the other's sorrow, could only chase each other's faint glow across the sky. The twins still chase one another with every turning of the world. Though sightless, the Earthmother could not long stray from the world of her heart. She kept her ear to the winds and listened to all that transpired across the fields of the dawn. Her great heart was always with her children - and her loving wisdom never fled from them. The White Stag and the Moon Into the brave hearts of her pure children, the Earthmother placed the love of the hunt. For the creatures of the first dawn were saveage and fierce. They hid from the Earthmother, finding solace in the shadows and the wild places of the land. The Shu'halo hunted these beasts wherever they could be found and tamed them with the Earthmother's blessing. One great spirit eluded them, however. Apa'ro (known as Malorne to the night elves, was a proud stag of snow white fur. His antlers scraped the roof of the heavens and his mighty hooves stamped out the deep places of the world. The Shu'halo hunted Apa'ro to the corners of the dawning world - and closed in to snare the proud stag. Seeking to escape, the great stag leapt into the sky. Yet, as his escape seemed assured, his mighty antlers tangled in the stars which held him fast. THough he kicked and struggled, Apa'ro could not loose himself from the heavens. It was then that Mu'sha found him as she chased her brother, An'she, towards the dawn. Mu'sha saw the mighty stag as he struggled and fell in love with him immediately. The clever moon made a bargain with the great stag - she would set him free from the snare of the stars if he would love her and end her loneliness. Mu'sha loved Apa'ro and conceived a child by him. The child, a demigod some would claim, was born into the shadowed forests of the night. He would be called Cenarius, and walk the starry path between the waking world and the kingdom of the heavens. Forestlord and the First Druids Cenarius grew to be as proud as his father, and in time befriended the tauren. He taught them the druidic ways, how to speak to the trees and animals. With this knowledge, the tauren aided the demigod in keeping the land safe. Hatred of the Centaur The last of the traditional tauren stories takes place after the fading of the Mists of Dawn and the beginning of the Age of Memory. When Cenarius eventually left the tauren, they were saddened by the loss, and over generations, his druidic teachings were forgotten, though they always retained their respect for the earth. Though the tauren forgot how to speak to the forests, they lived in peace, no longer tempted by the dark whispers from beneath the world. In time, however, a great storm rode out from the west. The centaur, barbaric creatures that were half horse and half man, swept into the tauren's lands. The tauren fought nobly, but the power of the centaur was too great. The Children of the Earth were then forced to wander the world as nomads for eons, staying in no place too long. Category:Sources